Dear Neighbor,
After several weeks of snow emergencies, spring has sprung in St. Paul, and I’m excited to share updates with you as well as preview some of what’s ahead at our office and in our city.
Have suggestions for what else you’d like to see in this newsletter? E-mail us at ward4@ci.stpaul.mn.us anytime.
Happy reading,
Mitra
P.S. One of the best places to get more current updates on our work is through following our Facebook page or my personal Twitter account. Like us and follow along!
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LEGISLATIVE AND POLICY UPDATES
Sustainable to-go packaging passed! Beginning in 2021, businesses serving food and beverages to-go in our city will transition to sustainable to-go packaging that is either compostable or recyclable - one step of many we can take to reduce our city’s environmental impact. I was proud to champion this effort initiated by my predecessors Russ Stark and Samantha Henningson, and we couldn’t have done it without the tireless years of work by Zero Waste Saint Paul and others. Learn more here, and thank you to everyone who has engaged our office on this issue. I look forward to working with DSI and Biz Recycling, Ramsey County’s recycling grant program, to support our community partners in this transition for a more sustainable future
Ford Site plan moving forward: The Ford site represents an incredible opportunity to create a 21st-century community for the future, and we should stay the course on plans that fully realize its potential. On March 27, I voted no on amendments to diverge from the Planning Commission recommendations and add mansions along Mississippi River as well as double the maximum parking on the Ford site. They still passed to be amended into the ordinance, and on April 3, we held a public hearing where community members shared comment. I want to thank the countless community members who have gotten us to this point, including groups like Sustain Ward 3, who have fought for past and future generations on this site - through championing clean energy, transit-oriented design and development, greater density alongside affordability to meet our growing housing needs, and shared public space like parks and walkways. While the Council will vote on the amended zoning on April 10, there are still numerous decision points ahead to shape future design, as well as a separate but parallel TIF review. I’m committed to fully engaging in this process to maximize the opportunity of the Ford site as well as our public investment. Toward that end, I welcome your comments at ward4@ci.stpaul.mn.us.
State of Our City and our shared priorities: Mayor Melvin Carter held his State of Our City Summit, rolling out several top priorities including fair housing policy and public safety initiatives focused on community values and public health. My office is working on these shared priorities through shaping a fair housing ordinance focused on tenant protections, as well as leading a Council workgroup this year on community-first public safety and greater oversight of SPPD. We’ll be sharing future updates, and are excited to dig into this work with all of you.
Updates on bikeshare: Recently, and to my disappointment, both Lime and NiceRide let the City of Saint Paul know that they would no longer provide bikeshare services in our city for now (more here). I’ll be working with our Chief Resilience Officer Russ Stark and other partners at the city to explore next steps and work to restore bikeshare in Saint Paul as soon as possible. The City is putting together guidelines for the next iteration of bikeshare, and we hope to get another dockless bikeshare provider (or two) in 2019. Beyond 2019, Saint Paul is very interested in syncing up services with Minneapolis, who selected NiceRide/Motivate as their provider in 2018 through their Request for Proposals (RFP) process. I’ll be actively engaging on this issue, and I welcome your opinions on what else can do to improve bike access for all in our city.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & EVENTS
Supporting Renter Voices: I will be hosting a Renter’s Voice Summit on April 18 from 6:30-8pm at Hamline University Anderson Center. Renters now make up over 50% of our city and deserve representation at every level of government and in our neighborhood processes. Toward this end, we’re partnering with our District Councils to help renters get engaged, learn more about our rights and make an impact in Saint Paul. Come learn about resources, meet Ward 4 and District Council staff, meet your neighbors and find new ways to make your voice heard. This event is open to all, and all are welcome! Learn more at bit.ly/RenterVoice
Mitra at MGCC Annual Meeting: Macalester-Groveland residents are invited to the Mac-Grove Community Council’s Annual Neighborhood Gathering on April 11 from 6:30-8:30PM, open to any and all residents living in the area who are interested to learn more about your community council’s work and neighborhood issues. I’ll be speaking about my work and priorities for the upcoming year, and will be joined by Ward 3 Councilmember Chris Tolbert as well as our Mayor Melvin Carter to offer remarks as well.
Allianz Field is Open! As we approach April 13 Opening Day, my top priority is ensuring smooth planning and gameday operations, clear places for neighbors to reach out for support on gameday, and ongoing communication with the team as the season unfolds. Our office has been working tirelessly with the Midway Stadium Task Force (made up of Hamline Midway and Union Park neighbors), the Community Benefits Fund group, and the Midway Economic Community to bring neighborhood perspectives into the planning process for the opening of Allianz Field.
If you’d like to provide any feedback or learn more about game day operations, please use the City’s new website: https://www.stpaul.gov/allianz.
We are also actively and daily communicating with neighbors about supporting our neighborhoods through this transition, and you should reach out to me and Matt (matt.privratsky@ci.stpaul.mn.us) at anytime to share how else we can help.Click to edit this placeholder text.
Key contacts for gameday:
- SPPD Commander Hallstrom (immediate stadium area issues): 651-315-1112
- Metro Transit helpline (immediate transit issues): 612-373-3333
- Justin Borrell, General Manager, Allianz Field (on-site stadium issues): 763-331-8770
- Ongoing issues you’d like to see addressed: www.stpaul.gov/allianz
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to the above contacts on gamedays for support or feedback. As with any large-scale recurring events, we’ll learn new things between games that help improve our gameday strategies, and our city and team partners will be working to implement real-time feedback. Your communication helps the city and team run a stronger operation, and my office will be organizing “check-ins” with relevant city and team partners throughout the season that we’ll share so that neighborhood input helps shape this first-ever season of games.
It was a momentous day in Saint Paul celebrating the ribbon-cutting of Allianz Field. The stadium site presents a unique opportunity to add new housing, jobs, and vibrancy to our neighborhoods. My office is committing to working with community partners to ensure a smooth first season, and that for future years to come, new development benefits our community.
Spring Cleaning: Citywide Spring Cleanup is Saturday April 27 from 9-11:30am! Click here to find out more or to register. This is a great way to help clear the clutter of a much-welcomed snow melt, and to take a step toward improving our community. Hope to see you out there.
Summer Activities: Last year, we voted to increase funding for recreation programming throughout the city. Now, with summer approaching, Saint Paul Parks Department is proud to offer comprehensive summer activities, including camps, clubs, sports and more. You can see all the options on the Parks and Recreation Activities Page - share with a friend and sign up!
UPCOMING OFFICE HOURS
One of my top priorities is to make our city more accessible for our residents, including holding regular office hours around the Ward. Please come share your ideas, feedback, questions, concerns and aspirations for our city.
The upcoming office hours are open to all, and all are welcome:
No need to RSVP; feel free to just show up or stop by. We can also be reached anytime as an entire office at ward4@ci.stpaul.mn.us.
We’re hard at work for our city. Have suggestions for what else you’d like to see in this newsletter? E-mail us at ward4@ci.stpaul.mn.us anytime, and thanks for reading.
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